


Rule Number 12

by SpiritsFlame



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, M/M, NCIS - Freeform, basically a cops AU, but with the navy, no NCIS knowledge required
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1838323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritsFlame/pseuds/SpiritsFlame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As if having a dead commander on their hands isn’t bad enough, Percy’s feelings for the awkward mortician are getting out of hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rule Number 12

Percy stares down the barrel of his gun, trying to look as imposing as possible. It’s Annabeth’s job to be the nice cop today.

“What did you say the name of your agency was again?” the guys asks, eyes flicking from Percy’s gun to Annabeth’s face.

“NCIS.” It’s the third time they’ve told him, and Percy has to force it out around gritted teeth.

“I’m not sure that’s a real thing,” the guy says. “Do you have a superior I can talk to?”

Percy thumbs off the safety with a satisfying click.

—

Leo has his feet propped on the desk, but he puts them back down quickly when they come in.

Annabeth quirks an eyebrow at him, while Percy fusses with his holster.

“I take it you’re not busy.”

Leo makes a face at them. “I cannot hack the great unknown, guys. Unless you get me some hard evidence, I’m sitting on my hands here.”

Annabeth eyes his hands, which are linked together behind his head.

“So to speak,” Leo adds.

“We almost had a lead,” Annabeth says, dropping into her chair. “But Percy almost shot him and he lawyered up before we got anything good.”

“Dude!” Lep says reproachfully. Percy shoves Leo out of his chair.

“I take it that the boss-lady is out?”

“What gave it away?” Leo asks. “The lack of ice in the air?”

“The fact that you dared to come here at all.” Percy smirks at him. He can see the elevator doors opening behind Leo.

“I would never dare risk the Dragon Lady without something to offer in tribute.”

“What was that, Valdez?” Reyna demands, and Percy takes a kind of twisted pleasure in the way that Leo jumps almost a foot in the air.

“Nothing. Sir. Just came up to offer my services. Sir.”

Percy grins at Annabeth and she shakes her head at him.

Reyna makes a disastisfied noise. “I take it you have nothing new for me?”

Leo droops a little. “No, sir.”

“Then get out, and come back when you have something useful.”

Leo snaps out a quick salute that is not even sort of regulation, and scampers back to his lab. Percy has about another five seconds to be amused before Reyna is turning on him and Annabeth. “I don’t suppose either of you came up with anything either?”

“No, sir.” They say in unison, and Percy is grateful that Annabeth isn’t mentioning that he pulled a gun on a suspect. Again.

Reyna sighs and rubs her temple with one hand. “Fine. Annabeth, go down to the morgue, tell them the vics ID, see if they have anything new. Percy- I want you to-”

“I think maybe Percy should go to the morgue, sir.” Annabeth cuts Reyna off, something she hardly ever does. Percy would be impressed if he didn’t know exactly what she was up to. As it is he just gives her a dark look, and gets a beatific smile in return.

Reyna gives them both a suspicious look, then purses her lips. “Fine. Percy, the morgue. Annabeth, you and I will go to check with the victim’s commanding officer.”

“Yes, sir.” Percy and Annabeth chorus.

Percy thinks about grabbing his holster, but he won’t need it in the morgue. He tucks it into the empty file drawer on his desk and heads for the elevators.

In general, he likes the elevators, for all that Reyna is fond of cornering them in there to give lectures. He likes the ding of the elevator on new floors.

And, maybe more to the point, he likes where he always ends up going when he uses the elevator instead of the stairs.

The morgue is scrubbed clean and brightly lit as always, the white walls almost reflecting the fluorescent lighting. In contrast, Nico is like a splash of ink on a clean sheet of paper. He’s staring down at the body, his back to the door, so Percy takes a moment to study him.

From this angle, he can see the way that Nico’s hair curls at the back of his neck, the way that his black t-shirt stretches tight over his shoulders, the way the pants on his scrubs fit him.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing a labcoat?”

Nico doesn’t jump, but he’s always been hard to startle. “Shouldn’t you be doing your job?”

“Ouch.” Percy comes around the table and stares down at the body, half covered by a sheet. She’s pretty, for a dead girl, even under all the bruises. “Do you have a cause of death?”

Nico pulls back the sheet to show that the bruises extend down her ribs. “Internal hemorrhaging, which bled into her lungs.”

Percy makes a face, and Nico covers her back up. “I can’t believe you still get squimish about this stuff. Weren’t you a Navy SEAL?”

“Yeah, but the lungs stuff. It’s like drowning on dry land.” He shudders. “That’s awful.”

Nico looks down at the girl, then back to Percy. “If you say so. I think the last one was worse.”

Percy nods absently, only half listening.

“Have you guys figured out who-”

“Nico,” Percy cuts him off. Nico stops talking, looking at him curiously. “Have you thought about,” he swallows. “About I asked you last time?”

Nico coughs, and suddenly the body between them is very interesting. “Percy.”

“You can say no,” Percy says quickly.

“I don’t,” Nico hesitates. “I don’t want to say no.”  
Percy can feel a grin breaking out across his face. “Then you can say yes.”

Nico still won’t look at him. “I don’t know if I can say yes either.”

“Oh.”

“Percy-”

“No, it’s ok.” Percy takes a step back, then another. “I’d better go though. You know, doing my job.” He huffs out a laugh, and it sounds like sandpaper grating over his throat.

“That’s not what-”

He cuts Nico off with a wave of his hand. “No seriously. It’s fine. We’re fine. I should get back to work though. This murder isn’t going to solve itself.”

The ding of the elevator doesn’t sound as good this time around. Percy gets off on the first floor and takes the stairs the rest of the way.

—

“Who spit in your cheerios?”

Piper pulls up a chair and sits on it backwards, propping her chin on the back.

“Go away, Piper.”

Piper pretends to think about it. “No. Remember, I have a gun and I am licensed to use it.”

Percy snorts. “We all have guns here.”

“Ok, fine, but I also have an air force boyfriend who has at least five years of blackmail on you.”

“Leave it, Piper.” Percy drops his head into his hands.

Piper studies him for a long moment. “Is this about that cute mortician with the shitty sense of humor?”

Percy just groans into his hands.

“Percy, don’t you know that I am a romance expert.”

“I don't think that getting picked to play the prostitute on the most undercover missions really qualifies you as a love expert.”

Piper punches him in the arm. “I’m trying to help you, Jackson.”

“He’s beyond help,” Annabeth says, coming in from the doorway and settling down at her own desk.

“Thanks, Annabeth,” Percy says sullenly.

“If you’re moping over Nico again, I have no sympathy for you. If you would just ask him out-”

“So he can say no?” Percy snaps.

Piper tsks and puts her hand on his arm. “You don’t know-”

“No, I’m pretty damn sure, considering that’s exactly what happened.” Percy stands while the girls gape at him. “I’m going down the range. Don’t follow me.”

—

Annabeth finds him after only a half-hour of therapeutic shooting.

“You missed,” she says, studying his target sheet critically.

“I was aiming there.” He punches the button to bring the sheet closer. The target is centered around the abdomen of the paper body, but all of Percy’s shots cluster on the left side of the chest.

Annabeth crosses her arms. “That won’t make it hurt any less.”

“Thanks, Annabeth,” Percy snaps. Annabeth shrugs.

“When you’re done shooting things, we have a new lead on the case.”

Percy looks back at the target sheet, wishing he could go one more round. Then he sighs and holsters his gun. “Yeah, ok.”

Reyna already has the projector set up when they get up there. The victim’s face is prettier in the photo then it had been on the morgue table, even with the serious set to her features, all her hair pinned severely under her regulation cap.

“Commander Zoe Nightshade,” Reyna says as soon as they reach her. “Served on the U.S.S. Artemis. Found dead by her neighbor two days ago. The U.S.S. Artemis is docked here for the next two weeks, which give us the chance to- do you have something to say, Jackson?”

“Ah.” Percy stares at his feet. “The U.S.S. Artemis is that same ship that Bianca Di Angelo serves on.”

Beside him, he feels Annabeth jerk, can feel the weight of Piper’s eyes on him.

“Yes, that is the name of one of her subordinates. What’s your point?”

“Bianca is Nico’s sister.”

Reyna frowns like she’s trying to place the name. “Nico? The weird kid who replaced Charon?”

“He’s not weird,” Percy snaps defensively, then feels his face heat up.

Reyna raises her eyebrow at him, but thankfully doesn’t comment. “Why didn’t he say something earlier?”

Percy flushes hotter. “I didn’t get around to telling him the vics name. Something came up.”

Piper snorts and Percy glares at her. She’s too far away for him to kick though, so he has to settle for that. Reyna makes an irritated noise.

“Fine. Go talk to him again. See what you can find out.”

Percy feels panic rising in his throat. “Sir, I’d rather not-”

“I don’t know what your relationship with the morgue is, Jackson, but this is the second time today one of you has questioned my orders because of it, so I’m going to tell you to get over them. There’s a dead girl here, and I’d personally like to solve her murder before the rest of her crew gets away.”

Percy grits his teeth and meets Reyna’s eyes. “Yes, sir.”

Reyna gives him a crisp nod. “Good. Chase, you go with him, make sure nothing comes up this time.”

Annabeth gently touches Percy’s wrist as she gives Reyna her consent. 

“Let’s take the stairs,” Percy says, and he loves Annabeth just a bit for the way that she doesn’t argue.

This time, Nico looks up as soon as he hears footsteps. His hair is even more mussed than usual, and there’s something vaguely harried about him.

“Percy!” He says, taking a step forward, and Percy is fiercely glad that Annabeth is with him because otherwise he would not be able to handle this.

“Hey, Nico.” Annabeth was a beat behind him on the stairs, and Nico’s eyes almost physically jerk from Percy to her. Whatever he was about to say falters.

“Hi, Annabeth. What brings you down here?”

“We ID’d the body.” Annabeth says, stepping forward so that Percy won’t have to. “Her name is Commander Zoe Nightshade. She-”

“Serves with Bianca.” Nico finishes, looking towards the body. “I thought she looked familiar. Bianca sent me a photo- of her crew. She talked about Zoe a lot. She liked her.” He bites his lip, a distracting habit that Percy can’t stop noticing, even now.

“I’m sorry,” Annabeth says calmly. “And, you know I have to ask, but have you spoken to your sister.”

“A few days ago, when the Artemis docked. Before,” he gestures vaguely at Zoe’s body. “I should call her.”

“Did she say anything suspicious, anything that sounded wrong or-”

Nico tilts his chin up definatly. “My sister is not a murderer.”

Percy makes himself step forward. This is about more than him and his stupid feelings right now. “We don’t think she is. We’re just trying to figure this out.”

Nico bites his lip again, then twists his hands in front of him. That habit is new, one Percy doesn't recognize. “There’s more.”

“More what?” Annabeth asks gently.

“More that you’ll need to know. It won’t be in her records.” He won’t look at them, and Percy feels his stomach dropping.

“Nico,” he says softly, and he can hear that tone in his voice. He only hopes that Nico doesn't know what it means, like Percy does. Like he knows that Annabeth does. He bites his lip to keep it in, but Nico doesn’t need more prompting.

Nico takes a deep breath, looking like he’s going to be sick. “Zoe’s father is the CEO of Atlas Enterprises. She ran away when she was 15 and changed her name, but it might be relevant.”

“How do you-”

“Her father worked closely with my father. As the head of Hades Industries, they were, I guess you could say business partners.”

Percy draws in a sharp breath, and he can hear Annabeth doing the same beside him. Nico never talked about his father, to the extent that Percy had believed him dead.

“But, the head of Hades Industries is-”

“I have my mothers name. Bianca and I both.” Nico’s mouth twists bitterly. “He was married to someone else at the time.”

Percy steps close enough to put a hand on Nico’s arm. “You aren’t your father.”

Nico laughs, and it sounds painful. “I can’t seem to escape his legacy, can I? I deal in death, same as him.”

“There’s a big difference. You solve crimes, you make a difference.” He tilts Nico’s jaw up so that Nico has to look at him. “You help people.”

For a long minute Nico just stares at him, searching his eyes for something Percy doesn’t understand.

Then Nico steps back, dropping his gaze again. “Look for her father. If she’s anything like Bianca and I, she’s spent all this time running from him.”

Percy feels cold, and he can’t find the right words, so it’s Annabeth who thanks Nico, and leads Percy gently away.

—

It turns out that getting an interview with one of the most dangerous and malicious of the countries weapons contractors is just as difficult as it might sounds, even with a badge.

It takes almost a week before they can get through his security, and it’s enough time to get alibis on almost everyone else that Zoe had known, and even get an interview with Bianca Di Angelo.

Percy hadn’t been allowed to attend that one, which gave him a nervous prickly feeling about how much Reyna knew, but he’d said hello to her afterwards anyway.

Bianca had given him a long, speculative look when he’d introduced himself, then brushed past his outstretched hand to pull him into a hug. “Good luck,” she’d whispered. “Don’t give up.”

When she’d pulled back, she’d given him a slightly watery smile. “And make sure you make Zoe’s killer pay. For me.”

He hasn’t said anything about the encounter to Nico, but then, he’s been doing his best to avoid being alone with Nico.

“We all need to be on our A-game,” Reyna says, tugging her suit jacket over her holster. “This guy is dangerous, whether or not he did it. Percy, I need you to avoid opening your mouth as much as possible. And I swear, if you reach for your gun before I do, I will drop kick you out of the building.”

Percy looks away, chagrined. “Yes, ma’m.”

It feels more like they’re arming for a take-down than a simple interview, but between all the evidence he, Reyna, Piper, Leo and Annabeth had been able to gather, all signs pointed to Atlas being the killer. They just needed proof.

Inside, they can hear Atlas yelling “And what the fuck is NCIS?”

Percy and Annebeth exchange a grin. That’s their cue.

—

Percy feels a touch on his shoulder when he’s on the verge of sleep at his desk.

“You should go home,” Nico says softly, his face lit eerily by the light from Percy’s computer.

“I want to make sure the conviction sticks,” Percy replies, stretching. “After what he did,” he trails off, shuddering.

Nico grabs a chair from Piper’s desk and pulls it to Percy’s side. “I think that’s all in the hands of the lawyers now.”

Percy makes a vague noise and turns back to his screen again. Nico puts a hand on his arm, turning him back around.

“Bianca says thank you. Zoe was like her sister.”

“I didn’t do it for her.”

“I know. But she still says thank you.”

“He hit her with a baseball bat!” Percy says, suddenly furious. “His own daughter! Just because she wanted to get away, because she’s made her own life. What kind of-” he stops when he sees the dark look in Nico’s eyes. “Nico, did your dad-” he can’t make himself finish.

“No!” Nico says. “No, nothing like that. He was bastard, but not that kind of bastard.” Nico’s lips quirk in that bitter smile that Percy has always wanted to kiss away. He clenches his hands into fists instead.

“I never knew my dad,” Percy admits, quiet. “He left before I was born. I don’t even know his name.”

Nico rests a hand over Percy’s clenched one. “I’m sorry.”

Percy pulls away. “Don’t be.” He loves these quiet moments with Nico, but since Nico’s rejection, they just hurt now.

“Percy,” Nico says quietly. “I’ve been thinking.”

“I bet you do that a lot,” Percy teases, uncomfortable with the serious note in Nico’s voice.

“More than you,” Nico replies, a there and gone again smile flashing across his face. “But, Percy, about that date.”

“Don’t.” Percy stands, needing to put some distance between them.

“What if I wanted to say yes now?”

Percy freezes, but doesn’t turn around. He can’t look at Nico right now. “Nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed.”

Nico has this way of walking, so quiet it’s as though he hardly moves at all. Percy starts when Nico puts a hand on his arm again, turning Percy to face him. Percy moves with it, unable to stop himself.

“I thought you weren’t ready.”

“I wasn’t.” Nico swallows. “I am now.”

Percy can’t look away from Nico’s face, turned up to him and barely visible in the dim light. “Why?”

“You’ve met my sister. You know about my father. You laugh at my jokes.”

“Your jokes are funny.”

“My jokes are dark. It’s an occupational hazard.”

“For both of us, apparently.”

Nico starts to reach out, then stops. “If you’ve changed your mind-”

Percy reaches out and grabs Nico’s hand, twining their fingers together. “I haven’t.”

“Oh. Good.”

“Yeah.” Percy can feel a smile starting, and he feels a million times lighter, the burdens of this case drifting away. For a moment, they just stand there, smiling at each other.

And then Nico leans up and in, putting one hand on Percy’s chest so steady himself. His lips are chapped from the way he bites them, but he kisses like can’t get enough and Percy gets that. His own kisses probably feel the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you unfamiliar with NCIS, the title of this fic refers to a set of rules often listed by the main character. Rule #12 is "never date a co-worker"


End file.
